


The Road to Tomorrow

by Epicocity



Series: The Ancienverse [20]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: Adventure, F/M, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 19:42:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14143176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Epicocity/pseuds/Epicocity
Summary: Ancienverse. Threeshot. The ending of every story must always have a beginning, just as the sunrise of a day always precedes its sunset. For Ash and Serena Ketchum, and all of their friends, this was the beginning of their end, and for the world…the pieces were finally being put in place along the road to its fated future. Amourshipping.





	1. The Road to Victory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome yet again for another set of three stories set in the Ancienverse! However, while the last was really a continual story depicting Ash and Serena's wedding, this threeshot will be very different, treated more as a prologue to the final story. To that end, there will be three different perspectives, each of which will lead into that final story. A little different in tone, perhaps, but I hope you'll enjoy.
> 
> Do note, before we begin, that this takes place a year after the wedding.
> 
> Author: Epicocity
> 
> Rating: T
> 
> Pairings: Amourshipping, Laserbladeshipping, RoyalDoctorShipping
> 
> DISCLAIMER: Still not owning, and I'm so glad I won't have to say this soon.

**The Road to Tomorrow**

An Ancienverse Pokémon Threeshot

The Road to Victory

"Greninja, Water Shuriken!" came Ash's shout, sweat clearly leaking from where his hair met his forehead. Greninja reached for his back, grabbing his large shuriken before he sent it flying off towards his target. Across from him, his opponent nodded her head, Gardevoir teleporting away to avoid the flying disc. "Aerial Ace!"

"Nin!" Greninja shouted. Already, he was tired from having to take down Diantha's own Goodra, the bulky dragon putting up quite a fight. There was no doubt in that specific battle that Ash had never expected to actually go up against a Pokémon that he, himself, had trained and raised. However, Greninja was just as his trainer, never giving up and constantly driving forward, adapting to the situation before them. The Ninja Pokémon vanished suddenly. A flash of a second later and he had appeared right at Gardevoir's side, bringing his glowing leg swinging out to slam into the Embrace Pokémon, who had already been moving slower than usual from the toll of the earlier portions of the battle.

"Moonblast!" Diantha ordered. Greninja skidded along the ground from his landing as Gardevoir, Mega Evolved right from the beginning of the battle, began to charge up her pearlescent orb of energy. She quickly fired it at Greninja. The Ninja Pokémon was slammed in the chest, being pushed towards the edge of the arena. "Shadow Ball!"

"Double Team!" Ash ordered, throwing his hand out in tandem with Greninja. Multiple copies of Greninja sprung up around the area, and each swarmed in as the fleet of Shadow Balls flew out, obliterating all but one. "Cut!"

"Reflect!" Greninja's watery kunai slashed out, impacting with the blue shield that Gardevoir put up. It held for a moment, but there was no way that Ash was going to let that stop him.

"Aerial Ace! Speed up!" Ash called, punching his fists into the air. The knives disappeared, and all of Greninja's limbs glowed a blinding white. He spun around, nailing right into Gardevoir's face from the side of the shield, before spinning and kicking into her body. The barrage of strikes soon culminated in the frog nailing her with a downwards punch. With a final kick, Gardevoir was sent flying backwards. "Double Team and Water Shuriken!"

"Moonblast, mow them down!" Gardevoir gathered her energy, while Greninja appeared all around the area, each one gripping for his giant shuriken. Then Gardevoir fired, a pink beam blasting out instead of being tossed in an orb. The cutting beam sliced away the swath of Greninja, but failed to hit the real one.

"Now, finish it! Let's go!" With a great heave of Greninja's Water Shuriken, he sent it colliding into Gardevoir's back with immense speed. He didn't stop there, as another reappeared on his back, which he grabbed and threw in quick succession, Gardevoir unable to dodge. The Ninja Pokémon looked to Ash, who nodded with a grin. Greninja angled his body, and shot downward, his fist glowing, making a white streak become visible behind him as he gave a final punch that slammed into the battlefield and sent dust pluming upwards, slightly grainy from the distortion of the screen.

"Ah, this battle is soooo amazing!" Bonnie shouted from next to Ash, making the raven-haired trainer look up from the blonde's screen. They were currently sitting at an open-air café in Lumiose City, watching the news on the screen, if one could call a battle replay "news". Most people ignored them, though some tourists were taking pictures of the all too known Ash Ketchum, while a group at the café watched them in curious interest as they gobbled croissants, as if  _they_  were the news that was coming. Even Bonnie seemed to be known from some younger trainers. "Ash, when are you gonna battle Diantha again?"

"Maybe soon," Ash laughed out in response to her. Across from him, Clemont finished stirring his tea with pursed lips, before looking insistently at his sister.

"Bonnie, Ash may have defeated Diantha a few years ago," he decided to explain (even if Bonnie wasn't listening), "but Champions are still very busy."

"I still think it's stupid that you didn't take the position…" Bonnie pouted. On the screen, his own battle had been replaced with an image of Paul facing off against Cynthia. The lemon blonde seemed far less interested in that, even as Torterra sent a powerful Stone Edge sailing right for Garchomp.

"Sorry, Bonnie, but we're just not into that sort of thing, right Pikachu?" Ash asked of his best friend. Pikachu, seated right next to Dedenne and Squishy, smiled softly and nodded, bits of macaron sticking to his lips. "Maybe when you defeat Diantha,  _you_  can take the position."

"No way! I'm battling  _you_  for that position," Bonnie stated defiantly. On the screen, Paul's battle had seemingly come to an end, finishing off the montage of battles against Champions and Elite Four members that had taken place in the last few years (there had been surprisingly few). As it ended, there was a whooshing across the screen, and the Pokémon League's logo appeared, along with a timer that showed a big announcement was going to be made when that countdown hit zero.

All of Lumiose seemed to be quite abuzz for it, as well, with the same video that Bonnie had been watching displayed on some television screens around the town, ones that Clemont had installed in an effort to better the city. Many spectators were drawn to those screens as the timer ticked down, though Ash was far less concerned with whatever that announcement would be. Mostly because he knew full well what was about to be announced, and Clemont was no different. In fact, they were so unconcerned about it, that Clemont was lazily sipping tea while the city was growing restless around them. Bonnie was indicative of that.

"So, when're you guys gonna tell me what the League will announce? Do you think it's something I'll be a part of?" she asked with her usual brand of enthusiasm. Ash looked over to her and smiled; she had grown quite a lot in the last many years, especially in her skill as a trainer. He didn't have the heart to tell her that she wasn't  _quite_  ready for what the League was announcing, even if she'd likely make it there in another year or two.

"I'm rather interested, myself," spoke a deeper voice that caused all three occupants of the table to turn. Ash raised his hand up, greeting the young man they had been waiting to have join them. He was unaccompanied at the moment, also greeting them with a raised hand. When he'd finished approaching the table, Alain pulled a chair out and sat down upon it. "These two refuse to share anything with me. How did you find out?"

"I'm a Gym Leader, of course!" Clemont declared, placing his cup down and pushing his glasses up like he was rather haughty. "And my fiancée is one, as well!"

"Still took him forever," Bonnie muttered out, fiddling with the screen of her Pokédex. She took a moment to glare at it, as if daring it to do something. It made Ash laugh quite heartily. The raven-haired trainer leaned back and slung his hands behind his head as his chair tipped a little.

"As for me, there are benefits to being friends with the Champion," Ash stated with his grin that said nothing. In truth, he'd found it incredibly difficult to  _not_  say anything regarding the surprise that would be announced in just a few minutes time. However, he had promised Diantha, and had no intention of breaking that promise whatsoever. "But what about you, Alain? How are things at the lab?"

"Busy enough," Alain answered, waving the waitress over to place an order for some coffee. "With Mega Evolution studies having either increased in popularity or leaving less and less to study, Professor Sycamore and myself have thought of branching into some other fields, like the nature of a Pokémon. We're playing with it, though sometimes I wish I could have some more high-powered battles more often, like the ones we used to have."

"And how's Mairin?" Bonnie asked, now absentmindedly staring at the screen while she waited. Her leg was bouncing in agitation.

"She's good," Alain answered, but gave no further reply. It may have been from the countdown coming down to the final minute, but Ash really felt that the professor's assistant didn't want to share details about his personal relationship with the nineteen-year old. Ash still couldn't figure them out, either; his own relationship was much simpler.

"Ooh, here we go!" Bonnie said excitedly, propping her Pokédex up on the table so that all of them could view it. The timer had certainly reached its final moments and Ash leaned forward, feeling himself begin to glow with the anticipation. Pikachu returned to his side as Clemont also leaned forward. The inventor seemed relieved that he had left most of his Pokémon back at Prism Tower.

As they all settled into position, the timer reached zero, and the League logo exploded in a shower of fireworks. Moments later, Diantha appeared on screen, but she certainly wasn't alone, with almost every League Champion but Kukui present with her.

"Greetings, trainers and citizens alike!" her voice called out, echoing around the entire city, magnified in volume. "You've waited quite a time since we told the public that we'd be making a great announcement. No doubt that you've wondered just what that announcement would be, but we are very pleased to finally unveil it to the public!"

"The Champion Tournament!" Cynthia called. Another image appeared on the screen, this one being of the very familiar stadium located at the Kalos League Headquarters. That was a piece of information that Ash hadn't known, forcing him to quirk his eyebrow at the reveal of it. There wasn't much time to dwell on it, as Cynthia was elaborating. "As its name suggests, this is a tournament that the Pokémon League has been devising for some time, polling for participation among the top and elite ranked trainers among all the regions."

"Unfortunately," Steven picked up the thread, "this will also mean that the tournament is truly invitation only. However, all five of us will be in attendance, as Champion Kukui of Alola will not be able to attend due to a planned, and thus unavoidable, challenge for his own seat at the start of this event. Nevertheless, we hope for this tournament to be an annual affair, held at a time where the regional League conferences are not."

At this point, Lance stepped forward, showing just how rehearsed this message was. "The invitations will be sent out to key Gym Leaders, skilled trainers capable of going toe to toe with the Elite Four, and of course the Elite Four and Champions, ourselves. All of us will clash in a mighty tournament to see who is truly the best! While any invitee can, of course, decline, given any sort of schedule, we do hope to see an excellent turnout."

"The tournament begins in a week's time, and invitations are on their way! We look forward to your battling styles!" Alder chimed in cheerily. Then the picture of the Champions was replaced with the image of the stadium, showing the location of the tournament that was to take place, along with its dates. Bonnie whipped around in her seat while the whole of Lumiose became enthralled with excited chatter at the announcement that had been made. Or most of it; some continued walking on with amused shrugs or chuckles.

"So,  _that's_  what you two were talking about!" she stated excitedly. Dedenne returned to her head, sitting upon it. "That's so awesome! Maybe I'll go and get tickets, or be taking part, myself."

"Bonnie is too much of a half pint to take part," Rotom's voice snickered out, the face of the familiar program appearing on the screen of her Pokédex on the table. Bonnie glared at it, snapping the screen down.

"You're just a program. What do  _you_  know?" she snapped.

"Either way, I don't think so," Clemont stated sharply. Bonnie pouted at him. "I need someone to stay and run the Gym for that week. Sure, my Clembot 9.0 could do it, or dad, but I think you need some good experience running the Gym."

"I'm not a little kid anymore, Clemont," Bonnie snapped at him, but she sighed and shrugged all the same. "I'll do it, though. It's not like  _everyone_  is going to be interested in the tournament…just  _most_  people…"

"No wonder you two knew, huh?" Alain chuckled out, finally getting his coffee from the waitress. "It sounds like a lot of fun. Like I said, I haven't had a chance to battle much with all my research, though I'd like to think I could still give some top trainers a run for their money."

"Pretty sure that Diantha said you were on the shortlist when Clemont and I were called to the Hub last month," Ash mused out. He wasn't entirely sure on that point, but he did know that Diantha had said  _something_ to that effect. Bonnie looked at Ash confusedly, like she wanted to ask what he meant by "Hub", but Clemont had stood before she could.

"Yes, there's quite the list!" the lemon blonde Gym Leader said quite excitedly. "It'll be quite fun to put ourselves against fellow Gym Leaders or more skilled opponents. Win or lose, it'll be really enjoyable."

"Yeah, that's my brother! Dedenne, Squishy and I will be cheering you on the whole way!"

"Dene!" Dedenne agreed while Squishy burbled out excitedly. Ash stood as well now, reaching over to bump fists with Clemont, in a promise of having as much fun as they could at the upcoming tournament. It was most certainly going to be a media blowout, at the very least. Even knowing those that would be on the shortlist for participants, Ash was excited to see just who would be battling it out in grand style there. Nothing made him giddier.

"I bet Serena will cheer for her husband, too," Bonnie said slyly. "Did she know about this?"

"Yep," Ash answered confidently. That made Bonnie glare at him playfully, as though unhappy that she'd been locked out of the loop while Serena hadn't. It didn't last for long, however, and the girl sat back and emulated Ash, hands behind her head. "I'm not about to hide things from her. She even has her own ideas for things she wants to do. Bet if you ask, she'll let you help, Bonnie. I think she and Aria said it was going to happen here in Lumiose, but they were waiting for the official announcement to say anything."

"Super awesome! Dedenne, this will be some awesome opportunity!" Bonnie cried. However, Dedenne was already asleep and snoring lightly, having fallen back down to the table. The sight made Alain laugh, while he stood as well. Without realizing it, he threw his fist into the mix, smirking lightly.

"This should be very fun," the black-haired man said. His smirk was one of challenge, causing Ash and Clemont to throw their own at him, as well. In a time of such peace, there had been less battling to be held, but Ash was all too excited to have the chance to battle more with those he respected the most. He especially hoped to face off against Alain again, wanting to settle the score. Alain clearly felt the same as the two dark-haired men nodded at each other.

"Just one week, guys! Better get ready!" Ash declared, and he rose his fist into the air with the other two, Pikachu cheering with them. Already, his eyes were turned towards the tournament, and the exciting future that was being ushered in with it.

* * *

The week that led up to the Champion Tournament was fast, and filled with a large amount of excitement from any who were involved. No place, however, was filled with more anticipation than Lumiose City. For one thing, the fact that their very own Gym Leader would be taking part, when only Korrina and Wulfric had been invited to do so from the Kalos Region, otherwise, made them very proud.

On another hand was Serena's own little event that she had been planning alongside Aria. All Ash knew at the time was that they were calling it a Showcase Spectacular, and they'd been working on it for some weeks, even at the expense of Serena's sleep. As a result, many Performers were streaming into Lumiose, prepared for this seemingly history-making event. Ash, however, had first spent time contacting Professor Oak in Kanto, the elderly professor still the caretaker of his Pokémon (considering he and Serena  _did_  have a residence in Pallet Town), even as Tracey was being transitioned to take over. After that, he was simply more focused on the tournament ahead. His current stay in Lumiose was hardly a secret, so he had gotten calls from plenty of his friends that had gotten invitations, whether accepting or declining them, and he even spoke with those that were contacting Serena, instead.

All in all, by the day of departure, when Korrina had arrived in the city, roller-skates at the ready, Ash had a very good idea of just who would and wouldn't be wherever. Well, at the very least he knew that Serena would be in Lumiose.

"Okay, Clemont, promise you'll win it all…or if you're going to lose, make sure it's against either Korrina or Ash," Bonnie insisted to her brother. Behind her, inside of Prism Tower, seemed to be some of the familiar faces of Performers like Shauna and Miette. Aria was also no doubt somewhere inside the Tower, just out of view, while Serena was seeing them all off with a smile as she stood near Bonnie.

"I'll try my best, Bonnie, but there are going to be plenty of strong trainers there," Clemont said, standing proudly regardless. Korrina hung on his shoulder, grinning at her fiancé with her usual attitude. "I'm just proud to have been invited."

"Probably because you helped in designing the Hub," Korrina pointed out, making Clemont look even prouder. A few feet away from them, Alain and Mairin stood, prepared to travel with them to the destination that was really only a half-day's trek away when using the quick and well-traveled (by them) path they planned to take, supplementing certain stretches with their fliers.

"You all just have fun, and we'll make sure Lumiose has a great time for when you return," Serena stated, adding a wink on the end. Ash gave his wife a thumbs up while she looked at him. Something seemed different about her, more flushed than usual. Not that he'd been spending much time with her the last week, owing to the both of them being incredibly busy. "Call me after the first round?"

"You bet!" Ash insisted. Serena walked forward as the others began to turn away for their own roads. Miette watched a moment longer out of teasing interest before Shauna pulled her away quite swiftly. Ash rolled his eyes, all while noting that since Sawyer wasn't there with her, he must have already been at the League Headquarters. That thought didn't last long before Serena kissed him.

"Gotta talk to you when you get back, okay?" she whispered in his ear.

"Something serious?" Ash asked, but she shook her head. Then she offered him another kiss on the cheek and pulled away, waving at all of them. "All right, everyone. You all do your best out there, understood?"

"No losing!" Bonnie called, pointing forward. "I'll be watching, after all, while making Lumiose Gym totally kickass! No challenger is getting through me!"

"Ne ne ne!" Dedenne agreed, both himself and his trainer posing with hands on their hips. Once they had finished and gotten a good laugh out of everybody, the duo decided to wave, saying their temporary farewell to the traveling party. Ash took one last look back at Serena and grinned, before walking on and out of sight, Pikachu atop his shoulder.

From there, the trip to the League Headquarters actually didn't take long, and was one of such little event that Ash could barely remember it, except for Korrina wanting a battle. Naturally, he didn't deny the challenge, with Pikachu and Lucario going at one another before Clemont had called for dinner that night. That was just about the only thing to take Ash and Korrina away from their excitement of the tournament, an enthusiasm which was not quite shared at the same level by Clemont and Mairin, who wouldn't be taking part but tagged along for "research purposes".

"Maybe if you all calm down, it'll be a lot more fun," the redhead had suggested, looking to Alain for a suggestion before they'd gone to sleep that evening. Ash looked to his old rival, scanning him. Alain seemed stoic, face illuminated by the firelight, but Ash could see the yearning need for battle that was roiling underneath his skin. He was simply hiding it from Mairin. Ash grinned, about to answer when he thought he caught sight of something beyond their campsite, in the trees. Pikachu also twitched at it, but neither said anything more, despite the hairs on the back of their necks telling them they were being followed.

"Nah! You need full energy to get pumped up and enjoy these things! Right, Ash?" Korrina asked. Ash shook his head and returned with full enthusiasm to reiterate her point, completely pushing the earlier sensation from his mind. It hadn't felt malicious, but more concerned and…questioning. Knowing he and his friends wouldn't be in harm's way, Ash rested well that night, thinking of the tournament and all the opportunities it could provide.

As a result, all five of the travelers were well rested the next morning, except for Alain, who kept shooting dirty looks at Clemont and Korrina. Ash had a guess why, but decided to engage his rival in conversation while they completed their journey, soon after arriving at the large castle that was the Kalos League Headquarters. Ash adjusted his hat, grinning at the structure where he'd once fought and defeated Diantha in an amazing full battle. Thinking back, he realized it was also the place he'd met his father, and Ash had to wonder how Lionel was doing. While he spoke with the man often enough, the last he'd heard of him was nearly two weeks ago, with the man having taken a trip to Unova for some reason or another (he'd never gotten the nitty-gritty details).

"Pikachu, buddy, you ready?" Ash asked. Pikachu nodded, and Ash led their whole entourage down to the castle, where numerous spectators and participants were streaming in, all to present their invitations to the woman there. She quickly explained the rules of the tournament, not taking too much time to do so, owing to their familiarity with it all.

"Single elimination battles with one Pokémon each. The brackets for the first match will be revealed tonight so that the tournament can get right into the battles after the opening ceremonies are complete," the woman explained with a sigh of boredom. That was good enough for Ash, who shrugged his shoulders, took his room key and proceeded out towards the largely unchanged atrium, packed with food stands.

Unlike past tournaments, where the place was usually lined with spectators, it seemed that the League wasn't yet allowing anyone but competitors to populate that particular area, instead sending them elsewhere. At the very least, it made some people rather easy to find, including an all too sociable group of Sawyer, Astrid and Seamus. With a grin, Ash hitched his backpack on his shoulders and ran for that group of three, yelling out to them, "Hey, guys!"

"Pika!" Pikachu shouted in greeting as well. All of them turned, their eyes lighting up at the sight of familiar faces. While he finished approaching, Ash swiveled his head back and forth, looking for any others he could recognize. He knew all of his past companions on the road wouldn't be taking part, each of them up to stuff in other regions (or just not invited in some of their cases). Even Kahili wasn't there, though Ash knew she had her hands full with a particularly stubborn challenger these days. He  _did_ , however, notice that only Seamus was there to represent Team Nova. Most interesting, in any case, was that Ash noted Paul, the purple-haired trainer offering him a nod with a small gleam in his eyes saying that he wanted to speak with him.

"Nice to see you. Goin' well?" Seamus asked, reaching out to take Ash's hand and pull him into a hug. Astrid just slapped him on the back, greeting the others, as well (Korrina outright hugged her), before she looked to a tablet in her hands, clearly checking the news.

"It's great. Can't wait for some awesome battles!" Ash exclaimed, he and Pikachu pumping their fists together. "Me and the whole team are ready to rumble, and we're aiming for victory!"

"Leave some for us," Sawyer laughed out, twirling his keystone around on his finger. He almost looked like he was challenging all of them with that, each person that had one there showcasing their own keystone. Ash just held up his Z-Ring while Clemont shook his head and rolled his eyes. "You've already gotten one victory against a Champion, so now all of us want our chances."

"Beat me and you can take it!" Ash stated, punching forward a bit. All of them did the same, their fists touching in the middle. Their own challenges made, the group soon descended into basic reunion banter to pass the time until the matchups would be announced. The Champions didn't seem to be making any sort of appearances as of yet, but Ash could easily see a number of Elite Four members milling about the place, including the reticent Wikstrom and Drasna, who acknowledged him.

While they all ate and chatted, Ash let Pikachu go and play with the other Pokémon, including Zoroark, who kept one eye on all of them like a mother of sorts, something that Seamus had stated with a bout of laughter. "She's always fussing over us these days! But I don't mind; Merry is great, and the kids love it when she teaches."

"I'd imagine," Clemont agreed. Then, the atrium suddenly went dark, every participant that was there looking around rapidly. Soon enough, in the middle of the space, a large screen popped out, expanding to soon show a multitude of faces on it: specifically, those of all of the competitors. Ash stood straighter, anticipation running through his veins as he approached the screen without thinking, soon finding himself next to Paul. The young man remained as stoic as ever as the pictures on the screen swirled around. No explanation was needed for anyone as the pictures stopped, showing the order and matchups.

"Looks like you're facing Seamus in the first round," Ash commented to Paul. The purple-haired man scoffed a bit, though it sounded a bit like a laugh. Ash continued perusing the contents, seeing that Astrid would face off against Sawyer, Korrina against Clemont, and finally himself with Alain. The most interesting matchup, though, was Diantha and Alder, proving that the tournament would have high powered battles from day one. Even a battle between Siebold and Lance was going to be  _opening_  the tournament! "Guess we won't get to battle on day one."

"Of course not," Paul noted abrasively. Ash looked to him, his rival opening his mouth to say something but closing it. It was unlike him, Ash noted, though his subsequent action of turning away was more in line with his usual behavior. "We'll meet in the finals, of course."

"You got it!" Ash responded instantly, no doubt drawing a smirk out from the man. He couldn't help but smirk either, feeling Greninja's pokeball twitching, ready for a chance to face off against Alain again, all to settle the score from their Kalos League battle. Thinking on his Pokémon, Ash decided to finally head for his room, giving a wave to his friends and rivals.

Doing so didn't take all that long, even after weaving through some of the other competitors there. Thankfully, none of them acted with the awe or admiration that most citizens did on a daily basis in his presence, each of them either knowing him or wanting to beat him where they could. That made getting to his room easy enough, a rather luxurious suite of a size that Ash neither wanted nor needed. Although, it did provide him with the chance to call all of his Pokémon out as the sun began to set in the distance, the rainbow of the misting falls being quite visible in its fading light.

All at once, his Pokémon appeared, Pikachu leaping off to join his team of Greninja, Charizard, Infernape, Krookodile and Decidueye. Each one of them looked ready for a big battle. Ash had wished he could bring along Sceptile, too, but chose against it in the end, which Sceptile didn't mind all that much, having shaken hands with Decidueye to share "the mantle of Grass type pride", or so Professor Oak had told him. Regardless, Ash gave them all a stern and focused expression.

"Okay, guys! We've spent the last week getting ready for this! The Champion Tournament!" Ash proclaimed. Each of his aces leaned in, ready for the words of encouragement they knew would be coming. "We're gonna go out there, battle at our best, and make sure we walk away with a little bit of every opponent's motives!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, cheering loudly before the sun could sink beyond the horizon. All of the others joined in, clearly more than prepared for the battles ahead. The sun disappeared, the day turning to night, and Ash strode for his balcony. Looking at the darkened falls, he gave a giant grin of anticipation for all the events ahead. Tomorrow just couldn't come fast enough.

_Fín_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: Feels like a setup chapter, doesn't it? That's because it is! Tomorrow is going to be having a faster pace and kicking off with this big event I led into here, among others, so I came up with the idea of doing this threeshot, wherein I have three separate focuses that all lead up to the same point. The first of these was Ash and the tournament. I would have liked to include Diantha a bit, but I figure there's enough during the reception of the wedding and all that to warrant her absence here (plus she's only the most prominently figured Champion in the series). That and she was unnecessary for the plot of this part.
> 
> Anyway, enough about that, I hope you enjoyed. Hopefully you all know the drill, ha ha, so please Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	2. The Road to Peace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now for a different perspective. I hope you enjoy this middle part!

The Road to Peace

It all started with a simple dinner at the Ketchum's Aquacorde Town residence.

Well, simple wasn't necessarily the way that Serena Ketchum would choose to describe that initial dinner; not when your dinner guest was none other than the still sitting Kalos Champion, Diantha. Then again, Serena thought to herself, setting the pot of food down on the table that evening while Ash finished his setting of the table, having people that most would consider celebrities to their home was really par for the course. Especially Diantha.

"For all we talk these days, all of our meetings have typically been at the Hub," Diantha chuckled out while she sat at the dinner table patiently. The Ketchum couple finished all of their dinner preparations, and with Serena unhooking her apron, they moved to join the Champion at the table. "I don't think I've ever seen the inside of any of your homes…"

"Well, now you have!" Ash stated with a grin as he pulled a seat out for Serena, and then he sat down, himself. She giggled a little bit at his expected enthusiasm regarding it, and mused briefly on the fact that Diantha had mentioned their "homes". It was no secret that the two of them either owned or rented houses in a few regions, though their major residences were in Aquacorde and back in Kanto. Either way, Serena reached forward and began serving everyone at the table, while Pikachu and Sandshrew were playing in the living room. "So, what's this all about?"

"Mm, just a piece of business, I guess," Diantha stated, and for a moment, her mouth looked to be drooling. It was a rather humorous sight from the all too often stoic Champion. "This looks delicious…it's been so long since I've had a meal that wasn't craft services."

"Well, eat as much as you'd like," Serena stated, sliding an insistent glare over to Ash. He quickly got the message and decided to eat his own dinner at a slower pace. Once they were a little more settled in, Serena decided to strike up some conversation. "Is everything all right with the League these days?"

"Oh, yes, quite all right," Diantha answered, beginning to eat her food in a far more elegant fashion to Ash. Not that Serena cared if Ash was messy; it usually meant that he liked her cooking, which she took as good news. "Peaceful, except for the occasional challenger, of course. So, we've thought of spicing things up for the near future."

"Spishing up?" Ash asked, nearly spluttering with his food. He appeared to realize that, and choose to remedy it by swallowing thickly before he spoke up again. "What do you mean by spicing it up?"

Diantha didn't answer immediately, continuing to eat as though it was the best thing she'd ever tasted in her life. As Serena watched her, digging into her own food, she was pleased by that. It was always nice to make people happy by making something for them. She also assumed that it truly meant Diantha never had much time in her life for anything other than League or acting business. "We're in talks, we Champions."

"About what?" Ash asked, tilting his head to the side. Diantha reached up, wiping the corners of her mouth with her napkin before placing it on her lap. Once she had, the woman leaned forward.

"We want to open a tournament, only for the best of the best," Diantha explained. Right away, Serena saw Ash's eyes lighting up brightly with the same giddy enthusiasm that he consistently used to showcase in his younger years. That spark had never diminished once, and it made her happy to know that even the slightest hint of a battle could make him shine. "Of course, scheduling could still be an issue, and not everyone may be able to attend, but we wanted to make a tournament, title it as the Champion Tournament, where ourselves, Elite Four members and top trainers, such as yourself, would take part. We even chose to throw some Gym Leaders in there for good measure, like Clemont. Would you be interested?"

"I don't think you even need to ask that," Serena laughed out gaily, popping a potato in her mouth as she did so. Ash looked to her, as if confirming that she knew her husband all too well. Diantha nodded her head again, clearly understanding that she had asked the right person.

"When would it happen? How long?" Ash asked eagerly, leaning over the table. Over in the living room, Pikachu appeared to have perked up at the sound of battles being mentioned, his ears twitching.

"Still working out the finer details," Diantha admitted, reaching for her glass of water and using it to wash down dinner, "but the basic thought is that we'll make it invitation only, and about a week before it starts, we'll make the big announcement. Of course, it requires a shortlist of the best trainers, but I'm sure we could rely on you and Clemont for that help. He's scheduled to do another IRCS update on the Hub next week."

"Of course, we'll help!" Ash proclaimed, throwing his fist up in the air and nearly falling off his chair. Pikachu was bounding over the couch, right into his best friend's lap and staring up at him with a smile. "You up for it, Pikachu?"

"Pikachuuu!" Pikachu said with a fierce grin, his cheeks lighting up with electricity. Serena beamed at the both of them, glad they had something they could get themselves excited for. Ash had actually been home for a while now, so there was no doubt he was about to reach his restless phase. Having something to do would be good for him, Serena, reasoned, even if Ash had only recently started thinking (and only a little, at that) about what he could do in the future that wouldn't make him reach that point. Though, it did leave Serena with the fact that she'd have nothing to do but support him in whatever he chose, and while she didn't mind it, the honey blonde still felt like doing something  _more_. Her mind starting to churn with those thoughts, Serena looked over to Diantha, eating again, and broached a different subject.

"How have other things been going with the League?" Serena questioned. Diantha swallowed once more and chose to answer. Ash was busy scratching Pikachu behind the ears, but Serena could tell that her husband was listening closely.

"Good, actually," Diantha shared. "With how peaceful things have been, and ARC working for us behind the scenes, we've started thinking about expansion again."

"Expansion?" Serena asked, biting off a carrot from her fork and listening with interest. Diantha finished off what was on her plate quickly before continuing on.

"In the past, the League has always tried to find other regions to join in, like Alola," she explained, yet again placing the napkin daintily upon her lap. "Of course, when a lot of the issues started up around the deal with Shamouti, we slid everything to the backburner. It didn't help that the G-Men and International Police were already pulling their forces out of unruly regions, and disbanding some expert teams, after some missions that…didn't go so well. Even Lance was affected back then."

"Mm…" Serena mused, placing her fork on her plate and leaning back. She couldn't deny that there were a lot of places far less fortunate than Kalos. Alola had been one such place, all things considered, and while Gladion's work in building the Aether Foundation into a premiere rescue and aid society had gone swimmingly (with the remnants of Team Skull helping), no one could deny what it had been before he'd stepped up to the challenge. Even in Kalos, people could sometimes have their own share of problems, despite the peace.

"Well, we all know who was responsible for  _that_  at the time, so it's no surprise it didn't go well back then," Diantha stated sharply, her lips spitting venom at the thought. Serena wasn't at all surprised. Though she no longer liked thinking about him, instead striving towards her future with Ash, there was no denying what a part of their lives  _he'd_  made up. "Anyway, we've finally decided that after the Champion Tournament, we're going to start looking at other regions again, unruly or not. It'll be a long process, but there are various roles we're thinking of to make it happen, and who could fit what. Malva's been particularly interested in it, though that may just be for the potential news story. In any case, you both are always welcome to help, of course."

"Hmm…maybe," Ash said, tapping his chin. Serena could already see his mind had moved past that point, though. To his statement, Diantha crossed her legs over one another, while he decided to ask a question. "How's Lionel doing?"

"He seems well. When was the last time you saw him?" Diantha asked. Ash shrugged, making Serena laugh again. Remembering complex strategies on the fly was something he'd grown quite adept at, but when he'd last saw his father's friend escaped his mind far more often than not. "Well, he's off on his own thing. Last I heard, they'd been planning to set up base somewhere in Johto, but even I'm not privy to that information. Lance feeds them information for missions from time to time, but even and especially now, ARC is largely autonomous in the League setting. But I hear they're doing well."

"That's good," Ash said, smiling. He seemed to be remembering Lionel with some fondness, clearly wanting to speak with his father's best friend again, but the thought was quickly banished from his mind. "But anyway, we're super pumped for this tournament. It'll be great to see everyone again  _and_  battle you again."

"Oh, really?" Diantha said with a glint of humor to her eyes. Knowing that the two were about to talk at length about battles, Serena decided to clean the table off. Naturally, Ash launched right into a challenge and Serena blocked her husband out. Much as she loved him, listening to him talk about battles  _could_  get a little grating after a while. Instead, she let her mind turn towards other things.

There was little reason to think all of the regions wouldn't be enthralled by the tournament once it was announced, but Serena had to wonder if, perhaps, there would be those who didn't care about battles, much as Lillie had when they'd first met her. If so, there had to be a way to help them enjoy things while the tournament was going on. Perhaps something in line with her own skillset. Naturally, she didn't always think like this, but it was just an idea. As she washed the dishes, Serena continued to reflect on her own adventure in Alola, and how the Hope Leilani and Alola League had been side by side.  _That could be an idea to truly heighten the festivities._

It made a grin stretch her face, joined with the idea.

That line of thinking was such a positive one, for some reason, that even after she and Ash had seen Diantha off and decided to retire for the night, she still had the smile on her face. It was soon something that Ash chose to comment upon.

"What's on your mind, Serena?" Ash asked, turning in bed to face her. He still held that eternal excitement in his eyes, his leg almost bouncing on the bed. Serena looked at it in amusement, her eyes catching sight of Pikachu slipping out of the door and closing it with a yawn, while she turned the television (airing some detective show) off. She shifted in the bed and looked over at him.

"Well, it seems like you'll be busy again in the future, so I was thinking of what  _I_  could do," Serena stated. Ash nodded, looking at her. "I'm thinking of doing a Showcase Spectacular, really bring together all the Performers, past and present, for a huge event in Lumiose City. Think about it, with the two events together, imagine how many people will find something to be excited by."

"Sounds awesome," Ash expressed. To that, Serena felt grateful, and her mind quickly turned towards talking to Aria in the morning, knowing her fellow former Kalos Queen would be onboard with the idea. She lifted her arms up, placing them around her husband and smiling at him before leaning in for a kiss. Peace felt nice, and having the opportunity for peaceful things, especially. He kissed back, and she felt his hand on her shoulder, sliding the strap of her tanktop down.

She smiled back, and the two fell into their own little state of peace. Aria and the Showcase Spectacular could most  _certainly_  wait until the morning. She and Ash had their own things to do.

* * *

The weeks that led up to the Champion Tournament suddenly became far busier for Serena than Ash. While he made some quick trips to the League Hub in those following weeks, Serena found herself almost running ragged. First, she had to call together all of her old friends from her Showcase days, only excluding Nini, who she couldn't seem to find, even with the IRCS (rumor was that she'd left to Johto some weeks ago, doing Contests). That wasn't too much of a problem, though, Serena felt, and the rest of her friends seemed to believe so, too, including Bonnie. Although, Bonnie, who was staying in Lumiose City for some time with her family after a recent journey, made it quite clear she had no idea why Serena was trying to do all of this in the first place.

"I mean, you could just do a regular Showcase. What's making this one so special?" Bonnie asked lazily in one of the rooms at Prism Tower. Even a few weeks before, Serena and the others were already beginning to plan their Showcase Spectacular, and all of Aria, Miette and Shauna stared across at the lemon blonde, who was popping a cookie in her mouth lazily. On a screen in the room was Maka, listening in but poring over a script for her next big work.

"What's making it special is the influx on Performers," Serena stated confidently. "I want to bring Performers from all generations, not just the current one or our past one. Myself and Aria are former Kalos Queens, and Miette and Shauna are well known, too. But that's not very encouraging of the next generation. Just like how Ash has mentored new trainers, I want to take the chance to do the same, but in a different way. Making Lumiose even happier is like a bonus."

"And what ideas do you have for it?" Miette asked, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. Her expression was contemplative, but said nothing.

"Just a few days of everyone able to really join in the Showcase feel," Serena told them all. "Like…hmm…Miette and Shauna do some baking stands to really show off that bit of Showcases, having us perform with new Performers, even some up and comers. If Miss Palermo could come as well, that would be really amazing."

"I could talk with her, though her age might prevent her from doing any actual performing. I could see about our current Queen, but from what I hear, she's rather busy, so we'd have to hold in her place," Aria shared. Serena nodded; she really expected no different for either of those two, but having someone from even the oldest group of Performers in this day and age would really help show everyone the different sides of culture that Showcases and those who took part in them had to offer.

"I could run advertisements," Maka now spoke across the line, looking up from her script. Serena glanced to her, watching her friend and rival closely. The girl tucked her hair behind her ear, tongue sticking out for but a moment before continuing. "If any of you want to drop by the studio in Unova before I make a trip to Po Town and head back home to Melemele, I could whip something up in a second. It'd be totally awesome. I know I don't…or didn't…whatever. I'm not part of the whole Showcase thing, but I'd love to help in any way that I can. Maybe Miss Akela can pitch in some of her clothing line, too, yeah?"

"Oh, I can do it! I can meet you in Unova!" Shauna volunteered gleefully, when Serena felt Aria pat her on the back.

"I think Serena should join you," the former Kalos Queen said with a light twinkle in her eyes. "Out of us, you're the one that's become more of a household name than even myself. People seeing your face on the screen will encourage them to come; meanwhile, myself and Miette can handle the invitations."

"I'll help!" Bonnie cheered, throwing her arms into the air. "I'm kinda bored here at home, so it gives me something to do while I'm here, especially with daddy away and Clemont busy with Gym and League stuff."

"Looks like we're going to Unova, then," Serena laughed out to Shauna. The latter quickly became excited and ran to pack her bags for the trip to the Lumiose airport, making a quick call to Tierno and Trevor. Serena only took the bag that she had on her, though before she could move to join the brunette, Aria took her aside. "Something wrong?"

"No," the pinkette stated, a finger to her lips. "Just…don't work too hard. You're looking a little pale."

"I'm fine!" Serena insisted, pumping her fists in the air. Aria regarded her for a moment, but eventually nodded, taking Serena in a hug before letting her go. The honey blonde waved to her friend and left Prism Tower to meet Shauna. She wasn't that worried, but still, Serena did a general check of her face once she was aboard the plane, finding her complexion hadn't changed  _that_  much. She felt relatively fine, other than a feeling of nausea that settled in over the plane ride. Serena chose to fight that down by writing out a series of notes, most of them pertaining to the Showcase Spectacular.

However, without thinking about it, her mind was already traveling beyond that. It was something that had been stirring within her for some time, ever since she'd filmed the movie alongside Maka. How the black-haired girl had turned what would have been a one-track career into something even more viable, bringing joy to the masses, was something that fixated itself in Serena's mind. There was simply  _more_  she wanted to do. It wasn't a case of putting it on herself, though; she'd learned that long ago. Instead, she wanted to find a way for Performers and Coordinators to apply their skills in a different fashion, one that couldn't ever go obsolete. However, she wasn't sure how quite to approach it, but figured that she'd know all that by the end of the Spectacular.

Yet, soon her time to think of such things (or anything, really) became incredibly limited, with barely any time even spent at home, as Ash soon noted (which felt ironic, since it was usually  _her_  pointing out  _his_  absence). Any time she  _was_  home, it was usually spent thinking about ways to improve the Spectacular that the others were setting up in Lumiose, the deadline for the big League announcement barreling down upon them. Some, like Dawn and May (one of whom was visiting an old friend in Sinnoh, and the other journeying elsewhere), had been forced to decline for other plans, but wanting to be there in spirit. However, a number of Performers, if not Coordinators, were already answering the call, making things get more hectic by the day. Between the filming in Unova, checking in with Maka, and then making multiple trips to Lumiose in a week as a result of all that, Serena felt busier than she had during her days as the Kalos Queen, to the point that Aria finally confronted her about it two weeks before the date of it.

"Go home and rest for a week," she insisted. Serena wanted to argue, but Aria had simply pushed her out, ordered a car home, and shoved her inside. "I can handle things here, Serena. We only need you on site next week. Please rest up. I don't want to catch you throwing up in the bathroom again from stress, understand?"

"All right," Serena finally sighed out, allowing herself to be dropped off at home. That particular day, Ash was actually home, training in the backyard with some of his on-hand Pokémon when he noticed her arrival. She waved to him with a smile, feeling the desire for a Pokepuff meant for a Fire type and finding some in the fridge. Deciding to eat it, Ash stepped in just as their phone rang. Before he could ask, Serena answered, "Aria sent me home for some rest."

"Well, rest  _is_  important," Ash agreed, right as he answered the phone. The picture popped up, displaying Lionel, dressed in what looked like some sort of desert garb. "Lionel! How are you? What's with the outfit?"

"Surveying in the Relic Desert!" Lionel greeted them, shouting over what seemed to be a sandstorm, located just outside the Pokémon Center he was in. Serena finished off her Pokepuff, feeling like her mouth was on fire when she stepped forward to join in the conversation. "Haven't had much of a chance to call recently, but the League just gave orders to investigate a town elsewhere in the region, so I figured I'd call, since I'll be tied up with that sooner than later. Heard about the Champion Tournament, and your own little Showcase Spectacular. Impressive advertisement."

"Thank you," Serena spoke to the man. Lionel nodded, as what seemed like a particularly strong sand gust battered the Center, causing the image to waver. "We're glad you're doing well."

"All for the peace, ha ha," Lionel laughed out when there was another sharp ringing on his end. He looked down and grimaced. "Whoops, guess I forgot to check in with Aidan. He's like a mother Combusken, always checking in on me. You two take care. Serena, you especially; you look pale. Get lots of rest."

"I'm fine, Lionel, but thank you," Serena told him, and soon the short conversation ended. Ash looked at Serena, watching her, as though he was observing the same paleness. She, however, decidedly laughed it off, starting to get a little annoyed at so many people fussing over her. "I'm fine, Ash. Just need some rest, okay? You just focus on the Champion Tournament. That announcement's in a week, and there's still a lot to do."

"As long as you take care of yourself," Ash insisted, folding his arms. "I don't want you getting sick."

She seriously doubted that was going to happen, and after a week of rest, she and Ash set off for Lumiose together, all of their Pokémon at their side to be ready for the big announcement that the League was set to make. Not that Serena focused on such things, joining with Aria to go over more checks before the big day. Naturally, the whole city flew into an uproar at the announcement of the tournament, growing excited from every single side. That made Serena glad to see; their efforts paid off at least a little, and helped to fill the gap for those who weren't as in to battling, or wanted some entertainment during the evenings, when the tournament wouldn't run.

With the official announcement made to the public, activity in Lumiose City, and in their group of Performers, increased by tenfold. From the groups of Performers that swarmed into the city, all the way to the decorations around Prism Tower meant to attract all sorts of attendants, Serena found herself running between so many different locations like some sort Alolan Raichu on Electric Terrain. She wasn't alone, either, given that Shauna, Miette and Aria were much the same.

"Though we have all the time we need," Miette pointed out as they ran errands the day before Ash was set to depart for the tournament. "I mean, from what I know, and what Shauna's said, Tierno and Trevor are planning to watch the tournament. Sawyer already left for it; he called me yesterday. And Aria…"

"Oh, we're all well aware who  _she's_  waiting to have call," Serena stated with a wink, bringing boxes of decorations over to the nearest Pokémon Center. Her feet stumbled, however, and she nearly crashed into the door, held up only by Miette.

"Speaking of doctors, maybe you need to see one. You're acting way too exhausted," the bluenette pointed out with concern. The concern lasted only a second before her lips turned up in a smirk. "Don't tell me that Ash isn't giving you enough time to rest. I mean, I'm sure he's well-"

" _Miette_ …don't you say another word," Serena warned her, leading to Miette laughing, but helping her forward nonetheless. In any case, it seemed like a good idea to get herself checked out, so that she'd be at full health for the Spectacular. That was something Miette chose to help her with, though the bluenette didn't go in the room with her. Before entering, Serena turned to Miette with a teasing smile and said, "And for the record, Ash and I can keep an even pace in our lifestyles. How's Sawyer for you?"

"Serena! Not fair! You can't just-" That was the last that Serena thought about her friend's statements. Partially because her mind was swirling with all the little things that would be happening over the next few days…And definitely partially due to what she was told shortly after; something she should have seen coming, yet never thought of.

Either way, with a full and clean bill of health, all things considered, Serena felt herself filled with reassurance and determination for those coming days. It was those feelings which she imparted to Ash the next morning, as he was ready to depart with Clemont, Korrina, Alain and Mairin.

"You all just have fun, and we'll make sure Lumiose has a great time for when you return," Serena told her husband confidently, adding a wink on the end. Ash gave her a thumbs up and she just continued watching him, face flushed and tongue tied for a moment. However, she eventually settled on something to say. "Call me after the first round?"

"You bet!" Ash insisted. Serena walked forward as the others began to turn away for their own roads. Before he could question it or say anything, Serena quickly kissed him, following her action by leaning up to whisper in his ear.

"Gotta talk to you when you get back, okay?" she said.

"Something serious?" She debated for a moment, but eventually chose to shake her head. It wasn't so important that it should distract Ash from the tournament. Knowing that, she stepped back, beaming at her husband and all of the departing competitors, waving to them as they left. Feeling lighter, and looking forward to the days ahead, Serena finally headed back inside Prism Tower, all of the Performers there waiting and gathered. Aria came to stand at her side with a light and positive smile.

Glancing around at all the Performers gathering there, only a scant few of them having noticed her presence, Serena watched all of them with her smile blossoming forth. They really had answered the call for the Performers to come. From Palermo, the elderly woman sitting upon a chair that Bonnie had brought for her and tapping her foot as she surveyed the crowd, to their own generation like those such as Concetta and (if Serena remembered right) a Performer named Amelia. What really warmed Serena's heart, however, was seeing all of the new and growing Performers of that next generation. She could already notice a lot of them, including the girl Emmy, that she had met multiple times, the girl having made the semifinals the year before and crawled into the finals this last year. Emmy was quite bright, now at the age of seventeen (matching Bonnie in vivaciousness, no less), though her companion, who Serena had seen somewhere around, certainly helped in that regard.

Glad at all those they could gather for the event, a symbol of the enduring peace they had all fought so hard for, Serena clapped her hands. All of them turned to her and Aria, as the former Kalos Queens stepped forward.

"Everyone, it's time for us to make the people of Lumiose smile, so everyone can enjoy the peaceful times we live in!" the honey blonde spoke. "Are you ready for tomorrow?"

_Fín_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: The first part of this prologue focused on Ash, while this one focused a little more on Serena. She's got something in the works for the future of performing and Showcases, but for now, she's throwing together a Spectacular for while the tournament is going on. It also gave a bit more background on where some other characters and the League is at heading into the final story. It also went back a little further, but essentially ended at the same exact spot.
> 
> The next part, however, will focus on neither of them, but will be a pretty big and important one, I feel, so I hope you'll enjoy it. Do note, though, that unlike these last many weeks, you won't have a week before Tomorrow begins, but just two days from that last part to be caught up. And yes, the last lines of these two parts have been deliberate.
> 
> I appreciate all of you. Until the final part, please Review and Dare to Be Silly.


	3. The Road to War

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're about to have a different kind of fun. I hope you all enjoy this final piece of the prologue.

The Road to War

Wind whipped around outside the Pokémon Center, sand billowing against the building's surface, forcing those who were outside to make their way inside. Even through the sandstorm, though, one could still see the remnants of Relic Castle, and its recently exposed entrances: a place of much research and discussion by the archeologists that had discovered the place. For Lionel, however, that place was wholly key, even if he couldn't get in just yet.

"Sir, it seems like the sandstorm should subside by tomorrow," a voice called to the leader of ARC and he turned to his group of four other agents. Each was bedecked in the same outfit as he: a duster and cloak to protect them from the raging sands. Had it been any other location, they would have looked wholly out of place with everyone that was gathered there. However, thanks to all of the tourists and other scientists that were gathered around being dressed in the same thing, they looked absolutely normal.

"Mm, good. We've been trying to get through for a while now," Lionel spoke, tearing his gaze away from the window and joining with his men. "How's our ETA looking, Derek? And drop the 'sir'."

"Yes, s…er…" Derek coughed a little, the man's Gengar giggling a little next to him. Lionel's eyes flitted over to the phones nearby, thinking about making a phone call before his subordinate could fully answer him. "Well, looking at the passages and the construction, I think it will take us about three or four days to reach the destination."

"Everything looks solid, too," called another of their search party. "No problems with cave-ins or anything of the like."

"Good, good…" Lionel mused out, rubbing at his chin for a moment and looking over the map his men had presented to him. This had been a long time coming, following up on a lot of rumors from a lot of sources. Their days of planning had not gone unnoticed by some in the Center, but most ignored them, too excited to visit the ruins. "Well, take a rest, everyone. We'll need it for a long trek."

"Of course! Victoria, lunch?" Derek asked, and their small squad of explorers broke up to do their own things. Lionel, for his part, approached the phone in the Center, glad to see that it was still in proper working order, despite the sandstorm. Swiftly, he punched in the numbers, and seconds later, two familiar and welcome faces answered with a smile.

"Lionel! How are you? What's with the outfit?"

"Surveying in the Relic Desert!" Lionel greeted Serena, his voice raising as the sandstorm picked up in intensity outside. Serena was just finishing off a pokepuff, one that didn't look very tasty by his estimations. Nevertheless, he felt it was good to see Ash and Serena again, the former waving at him. Seeing that, he chose to elaborate. "Haven't had much of a chance to call recently, but the League just gave orders to investigate a town elsewhere in the region, so I figured I'd call, since I'll be tied up with that sooner than later. Heard about the Champion Tournament, and your own little Showcase Spectacular. Impressive advertisement."

"Thank you," Serena spoke to the man. Lionel nodded, just as a rather strong sand gust battered the Center, causing the image of the married couple to waver. "We're glad you're doing well."

"All for the peace, ha ha," Lionel laughed out when there was a sharp ringing, coming from his waist. He looked down and grimaced. Aidan. Almost sighing to himself, Lionel looked at the married couple, paying particular attention to Serena, who didn't look like she was feeling all that well. It certainly seemed familiar to him, but deciding it wasn't his place, he spoke onwards without saying anything of note. "Whoops, guess I forgot to check in with Aidan. He's like a mother Combusken, always checking in on me. You two take care. Serena, you especially; you look pale. Get lots of rest."

"I'm fine, Lionel, but thank you." Lionel nodded to her, and then terminated the connection. A frown settled in on his face, and Lionel backed up, towards a more secluded area of the Center. Derek, sitting down for some dinner, watched him go as he brought out his small device, connecting to a personal, and private, channel of the IRCS to talk with Aidan, the blond, bespectacled man now appearing on the screen.

"Aidan, is there a reason for the call?" Lionel asked sharply, the jovial demeanor he'd displayed to the Ketchum family dropping away. Aidan took a moment to answer; a moment in which he adjusted his glasses.

"How goes the 'surveying'?" his best friend chuckled out. It was dry and humorless, but Lionel answered anyway.

"It's going. We're prepared to take it all the way through, tomorrow. I'll be out of range a few days until we reach the town that the League's asked us to check into, though I'd say it's more Pokémon preservation than a town," Lionel barked out, though still quietly. Aidan nodded.

"Guess I caught you just in time. I didn't think this kind of information could wait," the man spoke. He now had Lionel's full attention, the dark-skinned man raising an eyebrow and listening carefully. "Our special team has come in with a new report. They have a new task: following after a previous quarry."

"Is that code, Aidan? It sounds so silly," Lionel teased the man. When Aidan gave him a look that could melt faces, though, he stopped, replacing his face with the former look of seriousness. "Interesting…does this mean they're making a move? Or did they say a reason why?"

"They didn't have an explanation whatsoever. I don't think they were privy to it," Aidan spoke. Lionel's face tightened, not liking the answer that was being given. "It could be a sign that they're about to make a move, but they reported no serious changes at the base, so it's likely just a reconnaissance mission, and you know how those have typically gone. They might move sometime in the future, but not right now."

"Hmm…either way, we'll have to be ready, I suppose. Everyone's gathered at the base?" Lionel asked, now leaning against a wall as he listened to his friend.

"Yes. We're focusing on defense," Aidan spoke. "Honestly, I'm not too worried, but I thought it'd be best to inform you. They've had a number of these missions over the years, so it's nothing quite so out of the ordinary, just the first time to focus on a specific target."

"Hmm…yes, well, we just focus on the missions  _we_  have," Lionel told him. Aidan appeared to agree with that course of action. "With the tournament coming up, eyes will be focused there. If anyone wants to make a move on the League, they'll be hard pressed to survive the blitzkrieg that would rain on them. Either way, let's keep our eyes and ears peeled. In the meantime, I'll contact you when we reach the destination."

"Understood," Aidan said, adjusting his glasses but one more time. "I'll focus efforts here and contact you if there are any more developments…be safe."

"Careful, Aidan; people might think you actually care," Lionel chuckled again. Aidan smiled, and then ended the conversation. The screen went dark. Lionel breathed out, but his mind didn't dwell on the conversation whatsoever. Their mission was of far more importance. He didn't like lying to Ash, acting as though they'd  _just_  gotten orders on the town visit, but figured it wouldn't hurt, given that it was still their ultimate destination. He was simply glad to have seen them again for the first time since the wedding last year; life as the leader of ARC was just too busy.

"Everything all right?" called Derek from a table. Lionel nodded, but offered no further answer to the man, instead walking over to the window and watching the swirling sandstorm. He could feel it, somehow…the times were changing again. Perhaps it was the unprecedented age of peace, or a lack of major conflicts, each of Michael's seeded schemes put to rest before they could begin, but Lionel felt like his bones were itching. Even Banette's pokeball was rattling from it. The anticipation was too much for the both of them.

Ripping his gaze away from the sandstorm, Lionel chose to abandon that line of thought and get some food instead. That, combined with a quick rest, helped him and the others to wait out the sandstorm that raged until dawn the next morning. When it finally cleared away, the renewed sun ended up revealing yet more entrances into the fabled Relic Castle. At that sight alone, the tourists swarmed the location, snapping pictures of it in the harsh desert sun, while Lionel led his quintet into some of the passages below, the castle showing some signs of its age, yet some of it remained remarkably well preserved.

"Apparently, the castle used to be home to the Unovan Royal Family," Derek commented while they headed to some of the lower passages. Lionel was only vaguely listening to his words, checking at his map for the passage they had discovered earlier; the one that would lead them to the town they were searching for. "Of course, the line has long since lost its power in the region when its latest heir, someone named Trent, I believe, abdicated any of that power. But the castle's excavation is something he's apparently supported."

"Likely for all the mystical properties and artifacts," snorted one of their party. Lionel didn't deny that; Relic Castle had much to be discovered, even though parts of it looked plundered more recently than its state would suggest. In particular, their group passed by an abandoned, yet glowing, hall. There was almost a dais there, broken up, but seeming to have once held an artifact of great importance. It was clearly long since gone, but whether it was lost in those ancient times or more recently, Lionel had no time to discover. Not if they were going to make any decent time for the location of their mission.

The further they headed into the passage, on a trek that became slower going as they went along (mostly because they had to be wary of traps and crumbling floors or ceilings), the less and less presence of life there was. Not just of tourists and those who were studying the ruins, but Lionel also noticed that there were far less Pokémon. From seeing a number of Cofagrigus upon first entering, all the way to seeing barely any flitting sign of a Woobat. It made Lionel all the more uneasy. That uneasiness persisted through the number of breaks and sleep sessions they took, each of the days flying by in the passage with them not even noticing.

Almost completely doused in darkness, guided only by Derek's Gengar, each of their party began to feel the strain of exhaustion in those halls. Lionel felt fine, keeping watch most nights with Banette, but he couldn't shake the ever-mounting and unsettling feeling upon him. If his clock was anything to go by, they'd gone for four days in the monotonous halls of darkness. And while it was a simple enough path, with the feeling of fresh air just ahead, there were still no Pokémon in this portion of the cave. It was an observation that was rather worrisome to him, making his hair stand on edge. Lionel chose to push it down and just finish the final leg of the journey to get to the prescribed destination.

"Sir, is there a reason we couldn't just fly there?" one of his companions asked that day, finally seeing light from the escape of the passage. Lionel took a drink of water, clearing his dried throat as stairs stretched upwards, each of them taking their ascending steps to finally leave the passage that had held them for half a week.

"The winds around the area are known for being tempestuous at best," Lionel answered. "Even if we approached by air, we likely would have taken just as long. All part of the natural defenses that make this place such a wonderful Pokémon sanctuary."

"Must have quite the history," stated Victoria, looking to Derek for some information. His subordinate cleared his throat, with a slightly proud grin before answering her as the light drew ever closer.

"Slightly, though not one they wish to have known," Derek responded. Fresh air assailed them, each of them breathing it all in gratefully with a sigh as they stepped out of the passage at long last. "Back before Unova was League-affiliated, some corners of the region were used without knowledge of the royal family. Nasty things went down there, and this secluded area was one of them. Rumors had it that they tried to break into the castle through this passage, but failed. When the League took over, they established it as a Pokémon sanctuary to prevent those atrocities from happening again."

"Yes, the time before the Pokémon League was a horrible one," Lionel commented, squinting his eyes at the light now hitting him. "Wars and slaughter…quite a dirty world. It may have taken some time, but the League finally began to make things right among the regions, even though there are still others that suffer under lawless rule, even if not all do. The 'horrible parts of the world' if you will."

"I fear we may have just found that again," said another member of their party, all five drawing to a stop now. Lionel immediately agreed.

There was nothing there…well, nothing when it came to sounds. No Pidove chirping. No Lillipup barking. Not even the sound of the human caretakers that were around town. However, on the ground, there were traces of what had likely occurred: a mass exodus of Pokémon. Some were left behind, already dead, while a gale whipped through the uppermost branches of trees. Lionel stepped forward with a harsh frown. What had happened here?

"Split up. Find the caretakers of the sanctuary, and report for anything important you find, understood?" Lionel ordered. They all saluted and split off into pairs, leaving Lionel alone to stride into the tree-lined village. There were very few houses, but signs of whatever exodus or stampede there had been were found all over. From broken, obsidian rocks and snapped branches to the bodies of Pokémon that had been slain in the panicked chaos. Something had driven the Pokémon out, but Lionel didn't know what it was. Banette emerged from its pokeball, clearly sensing his trepidation at the situation. "Can you sense anything?"

"Net," Banette said, shaking its head. Seconds later, however, Banette stopped and turned towards one of the buildings. Lionel took that as a sign to investigate the place, walking up the wooden steps to the cabin there, and pushing on the door.

"Herrr!" growled a Herdier that suddenly came leaping through the door, nearly bowling Lionel over, if he hadn't stepped aside. The Herdier shot on to the ground while Lionel looked in, seeing two people, a young couple it seemed, huddled together in complete and abject fear.

"Get 'em, Herdier!" the female yelled. Herdier turned right around on the ground and shot for Lionel once more, being stopped all too swiftly by Banette. Lionel's brow furrowed and he stepped in to the cabin.

"I'm not here to hurt you! I'm with the League," Lionel spoke. The couple remained wary, and Lionel couldn't think of a way to placate them, given ARC didn't exactly carry badges around to identify themselves. He continued walking forward, and chose to confirm who he was as best as he could. "I was sent here to answer a distress signal, but it took time to get here through the Relic Passage. My name is Lionel."

"Oh…" the man spoke, looking to the woman next to him. She nodded, as though both of them were acknowledging that that was the order in which events took place. "Thank goodness. Herdier, come here!"

"Der!" Herdier barked once again and returned back into the cabin from through Lionel's parted legs. He watched all three of them, briefly glancing backwards.

"Are you the only two here? What happened?" Lionel asked. The couple was rather reticent, but Lionel chose to remain patient, even as he heard the tempestuous winds above that somehow didn't seem to touch down on the space they were standing in. By the time he looked back, the couple was standing, the man clasping something in his hand.

"It was…something we couldn't describe in words; not enough to convey the terror it inspired," he was speaking. Next to him, the woman was shuddering, before joining in with the conversation.

"We were studying migrant patterns of the Tranquill," she chimed in. "Then, it was like a roaring thunder when we first heard it, I'd never quite been so frightened. We stepped outside to see what was going on, and it was like the Pokémon were fighting each other in such a vicious fashion, almost in pain at doing it. Those not near here were practically stampeding away from the site, trying to escape."

"Yes, sounds frightening…" Lionel mused, reaching up to stroke at his chin in thought. Pokémon stampeding was something he'd only paid witness to once before, and not even directly back then, when Heahea City was overrun. That, of course, had been a direct result of Nihilego, but the leader of ARC very much doubted that was the case this time. Especially with the way it had been described: some were fleeing, while others were fighting with pain. That didn't sound like something of their own volition, brought about from a mere lowering of inhibitions. Coupled with the fact that the League had asked  _ARC_  to check it out… "Was there anything else you noticed? And where is everyone now?"

"We don't know. Several of our colleagues went off to search for the Pokémon beyond the town, but you can imagine the difficulty of getting back in," the man spoke, and finally, he held his hand out, opening it. Placed on his palm was a small sliver of something, looking like a shard of rock. "We found this around the area when the Pokémon had stopped…well…I believe you saw…"

"Yes," Lionel noted. He put his mind back to the sight of blood and the Pokémon that were strewn about. It was a horrible visage, and he had to wonder if what the man in front of him was now dropping into his hand was the cause. However, as it fell there, it felt as nothing more than a sliver of stone. Perhaps it felt to be of an odd composition, but nothing surprising otherwise. Certainly not large enough or mystical enough to have driven any Pokémon into a frenzy. Regardless, he tucked it into his pocket. "Any thoughts on when your fellow co-workers will be returning? Or on anything else that may have happened?"

"They should be back in a few days, with the Pokémon that fled…we hope," the woman stated. Lionel quickly realized that he hadn't gotten their names, but waited for the conversation to finish. "As for anything else…there was this…darkness that swirled around the space. And we couldn't move. Lots of anger, too, filled the air, like a horrible, anguished cry."

"Hmm…" It was all a fascinating set of facts to Lionel, and one he chose to do more investigation upon given the chance. However, Lionel remained wary, he found, until the rest of his companions had returned, confirming the facts which had already been spoken: scores of fallen Pokémon resting in an area of the forest around the town. It was then he learned the two researchers, Elliot and Janice, had been holed up inside the houses in fear of that very darkness they had seen consume their charges. "Well, don't worry. We'll look into the area until your co-workers return, so you can resume your work safely."

"Thank you!" Janice spoke, bowing low with tears in her eyes.

Lionel didn't quite return the sentiment, choosing to focus his work on the area around them. His subordinates did the same exact thing, helping to repair the houses in the center of the sanctuary, and clearing off the bodies of the Pokémon that had fallen. In some part, it seemed like a freak accident; perhaps a result of a subtle shifting in the weather. Whether the rock in his hand had an effect on that or not, he didn't know, though he wished to find out.

It wasn't until night fell that Lionel had that unsettling feeling of what had gone down in that small town confirmed. As Elliot made a meal for them and their Pokémon, each of them preparing for rest, it seemed almost like the ground was on fire. It wasn't hot by any means, however. It just  _looked_  that way, glowing a faint orange around the area, most of it coming from the blackened rocks that were jutted up around the area. Instantly, Lionel had to wonder just why, and what was going on. His brain whirled with ideas, from old meteors that had wiped out the fossil Pokémon to some potential legendary Pokémon buried beneath the ground.

In his mind, it was a small sign of something greater that lay underneath the surface of what had happened here.

The next day, he examined the area. While his comrades finished the rest of their tasks and helped Elliot and Janice to repair the town buildings, Lionel felt himself striding along the different rocks there, still glowing that faint orange color, even in the midst of daytime. It was completely odd, and the small shard in his pocket provided yet no answers. Even after a day of perusing the town, he still had no answer. Elliot didn't have one, either.

"Most of us didn't designate this a special sanctuary for Pokémon until some years back. Until then, I just know it was used for a renegade Unovan army," the man told Lionel while they prepared dinner that second evening. "Or something like that. About twenty years or so ago, before Alder became Champion and the League moved in, the place was like a microcosm of those who believed in truth, and those who believed in ideals. I heard it got brutal with some of the treatments of hostages until, one day, all of the men and Pokémon were slaughtered. Maybe that same glow happened then, too, but no one here would have any idea. Especially since it took almost a decade for Pokémon to even return here following that massacre."

"But otherwise you have no idea about how it was formed?" Lionel asked, taking a taste of the soup they were making. Elliot shook his head. It was a conundrum, and one that none of the other four could solve, either. Deciding to shelve it for the following morning, Lionel pushed the concerns from his mind to get some rest. Not that he slept much, consistently thinking on what had occurred here, and the reasons for which it might have. His mind, too tired from the last few days, couldn't think of any coherent reason and, in the end, he figured that getting the shard and his observations back to Aidan and Alpha Squad could be their best course of action for finding any answers.

That course rapidly changed the next morning.

For one thing, the workers of that sanctuary town seemed to finally return, exhausted and battered, but with the Pokémon in tow. There was a definite sense of heightened tension that Lionel felt that morning, but also elation at things having returned to some sense of normalcy there. It may not have been worked very hard for on ARC's side, and there was a definite feel of loss throughout their little hidden community, but Lionel considered it all some sort of blessing. The call that he got from Aidan, however, was anything  _but_  a blessing.

"League has a new assignment," Aidan spoke with a rather liberal sigh. Lionel didn't blame him; first this mysterious assignment with no cause, no evidence, and only utter strangeness in the form of the glowing rocks, and now  _another_  assignment.

"Can't you handle it? I'm at least a week out from anywhere not named Unova at this rate," Lionel insisted to his friend. Aidan frowned, his face going downcast. Instantly, Lionel knew that he clearly wanted to, but with the hubbub of the now announced tournament combined with setting up their newly current base made the blond unable to find any operatives to send out without lowering their own forces. Plus, it allowed more secrecy. "Yes, all right, I've got it."

"You know you're better at that end. We're monitoring our own target, trying to see if there's any movement, but things have gone quiet," Aidan said. He reached up to run a hand through his hair. "In any case, I don't think that this assignment would qualify as an emergency. Lance didn't seem to find it as one, at least, but he said they hadn't heard from Azalea Town in Johto regarding broadcasting the tournament. With the G-Men and IP tied up…"

"It leaves us…" Lionel's lips wiggled back and forth, biting at the inside of his cheek for a minute. He hated the thought of leaving a mission so soon, and particularly one so incomplete, but knowing he wasn't going to get much further on his own, Lionel agreed that perhaps moving on was for the best. "Yes, all right. Tell Lance we'll get to it as soon as we're out of Relic Castle, if you can. There's still something I want to check out here."

"Find any interesting artifacts?" Aidan asked with a tinge of amusement. He seemed to be leaning on a table with a smirk, but Lionel chose not to indulge him with replying in the same manner quite yet.

"Not artifacts, no…just an orange glow that hasn't stopped for a couple days now," the dark-skinned man replied. Aidan's amusement slipped off, brow furrowing as his gaze narrowed tightly. "Can't figure it out for the life of me, but as it stands, it doesn't react to anything. Not a Mega Stone, keystone or Z-Ring…or if it does, it's hiding it very well and not affecting it much. Could be connected to something that we've researched in the past, but it's looking less likely by the day, though only time and research will tell, I suppose."

"So, what is it you want to figure out?" came the question that Lionel knew was coming. To that, he smirked and tapped at his head.

"I'll save that for a little reunion talk when we return from Azalea," Lionel chuckled out. Aidan rolled his eyes, but eventually laughed along with him. "In the meantime, hold down the fort until I get back. See you soon, Aidan."

That was about all that was needed before Lionel terminated the connection. Watching the rest of his comrades easing the fears of those that had returned, Lionel called out his Skarmory and swiftly took to the air, getting himself a bird's eye view of the town and whatever had happened to it. Not much changed from that, however. The rocks still glowed orange, and the place still looked to have suffered a blow based on what had happened to the Pokémon. The only thing that even looked slightly different to Lionel was the curvature of the town, sloping downwards so that the buildings were set into a sort of mini-valley, hollowed and smoothed over the years, now ringed by trees.

It was ultimately a bust when it came to finding any kind of information.

Sighing to himself, Lionel descended and landed amidst Derek and the others, with each of them looking at him for their next set of orders. "It would seem we have places to be. You all ready to move out?"

"Yes, sir!" Derek answered. Lionel gave him a rather exasperated look, but clapped him on the back nonetheless. Following that, the quintet quickly packed up their bags and said their farewells to the recovering people. While Lionel certainly didn't want to leave them to fend for themselves, there were also far more pressing matters to deal with, particularly with the Champion Tournament happening so soon. Either way, he made sure to say a swift farewell to all of the workers there, wishing them luck on their continued endeavors, before he turned back to the passageway and their group descended into the shadow again.

It felt just as long as the first trip through, to Lionel, with just as many stops along the way, though the heavy feeling of oppression upon Lionel's bones had merely increased, rather than decreased. Their time in the Pokémon sanctuary had done nothing to assuage his worries. All of it just felt like too much, now: too much effort, too much mystery, and too little information to help decide or determine just what was going on. Those thoughts weighed on his mind in the darkness, and especially during the hours of sleep, milling around inside his head.

Other than that, almost nothing of interest took place until they were close to the exit from Relic Castle, in one of the lower halls. Coming to the ancient ritual chamber, Lionel stopped, peering inside and shedding a light on the murals that decorated the halls, almost beautiful in nature. While they, themselves, made little sense, seeming to depict little more than seven comets raining down upon the land in the ancient past, the artwork was fantastic, as was the dais where once rested a likely powerful artifact. None of that particularly interested Lionel for the moment…except for the shard in his pocket suddenly flying to the dais and resting there. No glow, nothing to suggest anything odd was going on with it, but a sense of heaviness that made it impossible to move.

"Probably a magnetic field," Victoria commented when she saw what happened. "These old places usually have them; makes it hard to get through. It was likely pulled there by that kind of resonance. Plus, I've heard tell the passage connects to Chargestone Cave, as well."

"Yes…" Lionel commented, attempting to remove the stone one more time, but being unable to. Determining Victoria's comments and observations to be right, the leader of ARC took one last look at the contents of the hall before leaving it. Soon after, their group emerged from the castle to a hot and sunny day in the Unovan desert. After showering and cleaning off at the Center, the quintet was then on its way to Johto, for both their base and the new mission in Azalea Town.

As Lionel sat aboard their plane, however, he mused, wondering why the Pokémon in that sanctuary had reacted the way they did, and what had caused that orange glow. And though he couldn't shake it, the minor event in Relic Castle's hall also disturbed him, even if he paid it little mind in order to watch the ceremonies that were taking place on screen, the night before the Champion Tournament was to begin. They'd been out of the world too long if it was already beginning. Thankfully, soon after, they'd arrived in Goldenrod City and swiftly began making their way to Azalea Town, interested in the likely silly mix up of non-communication that had occurred.

However, as Lionel and his subordinates arrived to an empty and abandoned Azalea Town, neither he, nor his companions, had yet realized the unsettling truth that shattered a time of peace, and ushered in war: the gates of hell had already been thrown wide open.

_Fín_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: You guys have been far too happy with the developments in the Ancienverse lately. This probably brought you down to reality, ha ha. And thus, we are ready for Love in the Time of Tomorrow to begin. When does it begin? Well, as I've already announced, it begins this Thursday and will retain my usual schedule in regards to updates. Hopefully you enjoyed this conclusion to my run-up. As the first two were largely character focused, I made this part of the prologue a little more plot-focused. Plus, there was an air of mystery to it all that will be resolved in the coming story, and we'll have some fun along the way, even if it's as dark as this part suggested.
> 
> We're all set for Tomorrow and I definitely hope to see you all there and reviewing! Until that drops, please Review this one and,
> 
> Dare to Be Silly,
> 
> Epicocity


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